Paper towel dispensing apparatus



March 15, 1938. F. e. STEINER PAPER TOWEL DISPENSING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 6, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet l ATToeA/EYJ' March 15, 1938., F. e. STElNER PAPER TOWEL DISPENSING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 6, 1935 s Sheets-Sheet 2 6 fizuwziow fieAN/r G. JTE/NEK M;

March 15, 1938. 5TE|NER r 2,111,375

PAPER rowm. DISPENSING APPARAIUS I Filed Feb. 6, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 r ,s w. Q G .1

Patented Mar. 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Frank G. Steiner, Chicago, IlL,

assignor to Steiner Sales Company, Salt Lake City, Utah,

a. corporation of Utah Application February 10 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in paper towel dispensing apparatus and has for its main object to provide means for delaying the delivery of a second length of towel paper to a user, thus making it necessary for the user to wait for some predetermined time period before he can obtain a second paper towel. By the practice of this invention, the number of towels used is substantially reduced and great economic gain is made.

It has been commonly observed that there is tremendous waste of paper towels because, as a rule, the user pulls a greater number from the cabinet than he actually needs, seldom, if ever, Waiting until the water absorbing limit of the paper is reached before he pulls a second towel. In this way, millions of dollars worth of paper towels are annually wasted.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for preventing quick successive deliveries of lengths of towel paper, whether the towels be produced by severing lengths from a roll of paper toweling, or whether separate towels are delivered from a pile, or whether the paper towels are delivered one at a time from a package of inter-. folded paper towels of the type wherein the pulling out of one towel positions another towel for access tothe user.

Another object is to provide means whereby lengths of paper toweling are successively severed from a roll of paper toweling, and successively delivered for access to the user, and to provide means for preventing quick successive operations of the severing and delivery mechanism.

Another object is to provide manually operable feeding, severing and delivering means, and to provide means for preventing quick successive operations of said means.

Features of the invention include all of the broader aspects of the invention in relation to prevention of quick successive deliveries, and timed delay in delivery.

Objects, features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description of the drawings forming a part of this application, and in said drawings:

Figure 1 is a vertical section on line II of Figure 3, showing the parts positioned as after completion of the severing operation for the paper towel web, with the end of the severed web disposed to be grasped and removed by the user;

Figure 2 is a vertical section on line 2--2 of Figure 3, illustrating the stop mechanism, and means for automatically timing the release of said stop mechanism, with the parts positioned 6, 1935, Serial No. 5,265

(Cl. 1648 l.5)

in correspondence to the position of the parts of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a front view of the cabinet with portions broken away to more clearly show the operating parts thereof;

Figure 4 is a plan section on line 4-4 of Figure 1, showing the serrated cutting blade and its complemental shearing plate;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary View similar to Figure 2, showing the actuation of the stop mechanism and the automatic time release therefor; and

Figure 6 is an end view of the driving mechanism for the feed roll and cutting blade, with parts positioned in correspondence to the positions of the parts of Figures 1, 2, and 4.

The invention is embodied in a wall-type towel dispensing cabinet, but there is no intention to limit the invention entirely to a particular type. The broad idea of timing delivery of successive paper towels is the broadfeature of this invention.

Numeral I indicates the outer casing of a cabinet having a door 2. Within the casing I is an inner housing formed of elements including two side plates 4, 6, secured adjacent their upper ends to wall brackets 8, by means of the screws 9. These wall brackets 8 are welded to the side walls of the outer casing l. The lower ends of the side plates 4, 6, are secured to the outer casing I by means of screws Ill passing through said plates and in threaded engagement with upstanding lugs I I, preferably welded to the bottom of the outer casing I.

Cross-connecting the side plates 4, 6, and secured thereto by means of screws I3, is a shelf member I2 having at its rear a downwardly extending portion I4 spaced from a plate I5, also secured to the side plates 4, 6, and arranged adjacent the rear wall of the outer casing I. The portion I4 and plate I5 thus form a guide throat for the paper. The shelf I2 is positioned substantially midway between the upper and lower walls of the outer casing I to provide a compartment l6 for the reception of a roll of paper toweling H which rests upon the shelf I2.

The portion I4 of shelf I2, and the plate I5 have forwardly and downwardly extending portions I8, I9, which are also spaced apart, and form a continuation of the guide throat. These portions I 8, I9, terminate adjacent a feeding mechanism, including a feed roll 2 I, and a spring tensioned pressure-feed roll 22. Thus a narrow paper guiding passage is provided by which a web of the paper toweling I1 is led from the compartment l6 to pass between the rolls 2| and 22, thence to be fed to a web-separating mechanism, including elements presently to be described.

The feed roll 2| is suitably rotatably mounted in the plates, 4, 6, adjacent the bottom wall of the cabinet. In addition to the pressure feed roll 22, a second similar roll 23 is provided. Referring to Figure 2: The shafts of the rolls are respectively indicated at 24, 25, and said shafts are loosely mounted in slots 26 of the side plates 4, 6. The rolls are constantly urged toward the feed roll 2| by means of upstanding ends of springs 21. These upstanding ends engage the protruding ends of the shafts or trunnions 24 and 25, as shown. The springs 21 are secured to the corresponding plate members as at 28, see also Figure 3. Both ends of the rolls 22 and 23 are similarly mounted. Any other suitable feeding mechanism can be used. The mechanism is manually operated by means herebelow described.

The web-severing mechanism includes, a shaft 3| mounted above the feed roll 2| and having bearings in the side plates 4, 6. This shaft has driving connections with said feed roll 2 I, which are best shown in Figure 6. Secured to the shaft 20 of the feed roll 2| is a pinion 32 meshing with the idler gear 33 mounted on the side plate 6. Idler 33, in turn, meshes with the gear 34 fixed to the cross-shaft 3|. A dog 35 allows the train of gears to rotate only in feeding direction, indicated by the arrows of Figure 6. The shaft 20 of the feed roll 2| extends outwardly through the wall of the outer casing I, and has fixed thereto a crank 31 for manually rotating the feed roll and consequently the cross-shaft 3|. In the present embodiment it will be noted that the relative sizes of the pinion 32 and the gear 34 are such that two revolutions of the feed roll 2| impart one revolution to the cross-shaft 3| Mounted upon the cross-shaft 3| is a plate-like member 4| clampingly secured to the shaft 3| by means of the screws 42, see. Figure 4. Upon the plate 4| is fixed, by means of screws 44, a cutting bar 43. The cutting bar 43 has on one edge, teeth 45 which extend beyond the outer edge of the supporting plate 4|. Mounted upon the side plates 4, 6, is a plate 41 which in turn has secured thereto a corrugated member 48, the corrugations of which are complemental to the teeth 45. The points of the teeth 45 of the cutting bar are in cooperative relation with the valleys of the corrugations.

The plate member 41 is pivotally mounted as at but is normally held in upright position by the ears 52 formed on the plate 41, see Figure 2, frictionally engaging the outer sides of side plates 4, 6. When the door 2 of the cabinet is closed it also provides a backing for the plate member 41.

To the under side of the plate 4|, see Figure 1, is secured by screws 55 an arcuate web guide and web smoothing member 54 having its center of curvature in the axis of shaft 3 Cross-connecting the plates 4, 6, adjacent feed roll 2| and presser roll 23 are two spaced apart stationary guide members 51 and 58 secured to the side walls by screws 59 and 6| respectively. Secured to the guide plate 51 as by welding are a pair of substantially upright guide rails 63, braced together at the top by a cross bar 64 as shown in Figure 3. The supporting member 4| and the cutting bar 43 and the arcuate web guide and web smoothing member 54 are slotted as at 66, to provide clearance relatively to the stationary guide rails 53, as the cutting bar assembly rotates with the shaft 3|. The feed roll 2| is provided with two grooves 68 into which the lower extremities of the guide rails 63 project. Below the feed roll 2| is an arcuate web-guide plate 69 secured to the plates 4, 8, by screws 1| and spaced from the feed roll 2| to provide a passageway for the paper towel web.

In loading the machine with paper toweling, the free end of the web of the roll of paper toweling I1 is brought downwardly into and through the passageway formed by elements I4, I 5, l8, I9, until the edge of the toweling contacts with the roll 22 and the roughened surface of the feed roll 2|. Upon rotation of the feed roll 2| by means of the crank 31 secured thereto, the towel web is drawn between the tension roll 22 and the feed roll 2| into the guide passage 12 between the arcuate guide plate 69 and the feed roll, thence upwardly between the tension roll 23 and the feed roll 2|, thence upwardly between the two guide plate members 51 and 58, to lie against the corrugations 48, after plate 41 has been swung to the position shown in Figure 1.

The feeding and severing operation is as follows: After a predetermined length of toweling has been fed upwardly toward the exit slot 14, the serrated knife blade moves into engagement with the towel web. The teeth 45 of the cutting bar puncture those portions of the. web which bridge the peaks of the corrugations of member 48 and the teeth pass through the towel web into the grooves. The speed of the serrated cutting bar is slightly greater than that of the feeding speed of the web, so that the web is not only cut, but the forward part is actually forcibly pulled and separated from the following part.

As the towel web is severed the faster moving cutter bar moves the severed length upwardly away from the slower moving towel web and the movement is suflicient to cause the upper end of the severed length of web to project from the slot 14 to be readily grasped by the user. The severed length of toweling is shown resting upon the cutter bar 43 and against the guide rails 63, and is shown projecting upwardly between the door 2 and the guide plate member 13. The plate 13 is secured to the door 2 adjacent the slot 14 through which the severed towel projects to be grasped by the user and withdrawn from the cabinet.

A broad feature of this invention is the use of means for preventing quick successive deliveries of lengths of towel paper, and this feature of the invention is applicable to the timed control of towel delivery whether a length severed from a roll of paper toweling is to be delivered, or whether a towel be delivered from a pile, or from a package of inter-folded paper towels of the type wherein the pulling out of one towel positions the next for access by the user.

In the present embodiment, the timer mechanism includes means adapted to stop the cutter bar immediately after a cutting and severing operation and at a position in which the bar acts to support the severed sheet in position for withdrawal by the user. The position is shown in full lines in Figure 1, and in dotted lines in Figure 2. At this position, the mechanism is held for a timed interval.

The cutter bar shaft 3| projects outwardly beyond the side plate 4, see Figure 2, and has se cured thereto a stop arm 16 having an inwardly laterally offset stop portion 11, adapted to engage a. pivoted stop member 18 when the latter is in either the dot-and-dash line or the full line position of Figure 5. The stop member 18 is pivoted at l9 to the side plate4. A link 8| is pivoted at 82 to the stop member 1'8 and has a slot 83 traversed by the screw 84 of the stop arm 16 of shaft 3|.

Also mounted on the pivot 82 is an upwardly extending rod 85 having its upper end sliding freely in a guide 86 secured to plate 4. A dashpot 88 acting as a timer is mounted also on the plate 4 and has a plunger 89 which extends upwardly. The plunger has a head 9|, and this head is operatively engaged with the slot of clip 92, which clip is clamped to the upright rod 85 by means of screw 93.

The full line parts of Figure 5 are positioned as when the timing operation is about half completed, the timing movement of the rod 85 being downwardly. The dot-and-dash line positions of the elements 16, E8, 43, and 54 represent the position of the elements at the beginning of the timing operation, and it will be noted that the screw 85 is engaged against the upper end of the slot 83 and has acted to pull the link and the stop 18 to stop position, at the same time setting the timer.

Rotation of the cutter 43 from the dotted line position shown in Figure 2 (or full line position of Figure l) to the dot-and-dash line position of Figure 5 swings the member 18 on its pivot 19 to the dot-and-dash line position of Figure 5, thus moving the rod 85 upwardly to move the plunger in the dashpot 88 and set it for timing.

In Figure 5, the dot-and-dash line position of the element Hi, link 3|, member 18 and upper end of rod 85 and the full line position of the dashpot stem 89, corresponds to the position at which the timer begins its timing operation. Shortly after setting of the timer, member 16 will have moved to the stop position shown in full lines in Figure 5, while the elements 43, 54, etc. will have moved to the full line position of Figure 1. In other words, Figure 5 shows in dotand-dash lines, the timer-set position, as well as the position of the element 16 resultant from its continued motion to stop position after the timer setting. Figure 2, of course, shows the parts conditioned to permit a manual feeding and severing operation, in which it will be noted stop [8 is positioned to permit arm 16 to be rotated one complete revolution from the position shown.

With the parts positioned as shown in Figure 2, the operator can, by turning the crank 31, rotate the shafts 20 and 3| in counter-clockwise direction to feed the paper and cause the knife 43 to sever it after a sufficient length of paper has been fed. During this movement, the link will, after the part 16 has traveled a sufficient distance, raise element 18 to the dot-and-dash line position of Figure 5. In this movement, the shaft 3! makes a complete rotation, near the last part of which severing is accomplished, after which the part It is positioned as shown in dotand-dash lines in Figure 5, and with the knife positioned as shown in Figure 1. At the end of the time period the stop element 18 will have assumed the position of Figure 2. Therefore, during the timed movement of the element 18 from the dot-and-dash line position of Figure 5 to the full line position of Figure 2 the machine cannot be operated for feeding or for severing or for delivering another sheet of toweling.

The relations of the stop elements, their pivots, the link, etc., are such that the element 13 is not lifted until the outer end of the element Tl has moved a sufficient distance in counterclockwise direction to prevent jamming by engagement of the upper surface File of the element 18 with the element 11.

The dashpot 88, of course, retards or times the downward movement of the member 18 about its pivot 19, as a result of the connection with rod 85. When the member 18 is lowered to the position shown in Figure 2, it no longer lies in the path of the offset portion H. A stop member 96 is secured to the plate 4 adjacent the pivot l9 and a flat surface 91 of the member 18 engages it to prevent upward motion of member 18 beyond the position shown in dot-and-dash lines in Figure 5, if the operating crank is operated with undue acceleration.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a cabinet for dispensing paper towels, means for feeding a web of paper toweling, separate means for automatically severing a portion of said web, and means for rendering both means inoperative for a predetermined time interval after a severing operation.

2. In a cabinet for dispensing paper towels, means for feeding a web of paper toweling, separate means for automatically severing a predetermined portion of said web and thereafter supporting the severed portion in accessible position, and means for preventing a succeeding feed and severance until after the lapse of a predetermined time interval.

3. A cabinet for dispensing paper towels having, an orifice through which lengths of paper toweling are delivered for access to the user, means for severing the towels, said means acting after severing to hold the severed length in accessible position for withdrawal from the cabinet.

4. A cabinet for dispensing paper towels having, an orifice through which the paper towels are delivered for access to the user, means for successively feeding towels toward the orifice, rotatable means for receiving each fed towel and acting to support the towel in position for withdrawal through the orifice, and means controlled by the rotatable means for holding the same at supporting position.

5. In a paper towel dispensing apparatus, first means operable by the user for feeding and severing paper toweling and delivering severed lengths for access to the user, said severing means having a shaft, and second means controlled by and controlling said shaft for delaying the operation of the first means for a predetermined time interval after delivery of each length, said second means being set by the first means and thereafter acting automatically to perform its timing function.

6. A cabinet for dispensing paper towels, comprising means for feeding a web of paper toweling, automatic severing means independent of the feeding means and to which the feeding means delivers, means synchronizing the severing and feeding means, and means controlled by and controlling the aforementioned means for limiting the amount of feeding and thereafter preventing further feeding and severing operations until after a predetermined time interval.

'7. A cabinet for dispensing paper towels, comprising a delivery orifice, means for feeding a web of paper toweling, automatic severing means independent of the feeding means and upwardly to which the feeding means delivers, means synchronizing the severing and feeding means, and means controlled by and controlling the aforementioned means for limiting the amount of feeding and thereafter preventing further operation until after a predetermined time interval, said severing means acting to deliver the severed sheet upwardly to said delivery orifice.

8. A cabinet for dispensing paper towels comprising a delivery orifice through which the towels may be positioned for withdrawal from the cabinet by the user, manually operable feeding means for delivering towels to said orifice, severing means arranged intermediately of the feeding means and orifice, and controlled by the feeding means, and time control means in said cabinet actuated by operation of said feeding means to render said feeding means inoperable for a predetermined time interval after each operation, said time control means operating after said time interval to render said feeding means again operable.

9. A cabinet for dispensing paper sheets comprising, a roll for feeding paper, first and second presser rolls cooperating with the feed roll, a first guide directing the paper between the feed roll and the first presser roll, a second guide receiving paper from the cooperating feed roll and second presser roll, and a severing mechanism arranged above the feed roll and to which the second guide delivers including, a member which moves with the advancing web as severing occurs, and which applies pressure to a portion of the paper which projects from the second guide.

10. In a cabinet for dispensing paper, the combination of an upper chamber to receive a supply of paper, a second chamber in said cabinet located below the first mentioned chamber, means in said second chamber for feeding the paper from the first chamber, severing means in said second chamber positioned above the feed means and to which the feed means delivers, a downwardly directing guide for positively guiding the paper from the supply chamber to the feed means, and an upwardly directing guide between the feed means and the severing means for positively guiding the paper to the severing means.

FRANK G. STEINER. 

